UEN (Unique Entity Number) Validation Rules¶

Overview¶

The Unique Entity Number (UEN) is a standard identification number for entities registered in Singapore. In the MAS representative appointment context, the UEN identifies the principal (CMS licensee, Licensed Financial Adviser, or Exempt Financial Institution) that is appointing the representative. The UEN is stored in the uen_number field of the organisation record in Regnify.

UEN Purpose in MAS Forms¶

Organisation identification: Every principal submitting Form 3A/3B/3C must have a valid UEN
MAS CoRe cross-reference: MAS uses the UEN to match the lodging entity with its licence records
ACRA registration verification: The UEN links to the entity's corporate registration with ACRA
Uniqueness enforcement: In Regnify, the uen_number field is UNIQUE (one UEN per organisation)

UEN Format Types¶

Singapore UENs come in several formats depending on the type and registration date of the entity.

Format 1: Local Companies (ACRA-Registered)¶

[Year][Sequential Number][Entity Type]

Pattern: YYYYNNNNNX (10 characters) - YYYY: 4-digit year of registration (e.g., 2020) - NNNNN: 5-digit sequential number (e.g., 12345) - X: 1 alphabetic character (entity type suffix)

Entity Type Suffixes:

Suffix	Entity Type
A	ACRA-registered sole proprietorship
B	ACRA-registered partnership
C	ACRA-registered company (Pte Ltd, Ltd)
D	ACRA-registered limited liability partnership (LLP)
E	ACRA-registered limited partnership (LP)

Examples: - 202012345A — Sole proprietorship registered in 2020 - 201987654C — Company registered in 2019 - 202312345D — LLP registered in 2023

Format 2: Businesses Registered Before 2009¶

[Digits][Entity Letter]

Pattern: NNNNNNNNNX (9-10 characters) - NNNNNNNNN: 8-9 digit sequential number - X: 1 alphabetic character

These are legacy UEN formats from the old ROB (Registry of Businesses) or ROC (Registry of Companies) systems.

Examples: - 53456789A — Business registered under legacy numbering - 200012345C — Company registered in 2000

Format 3: Other Entity Types¶

Entities not registered with ACRA (e.g., government bodies, statutory boards, trade unions, charities, foreign companies) may have UENs in different formats:

[Registration Authority Prefix][Sequential Number][Suffix]

Prefix	Authority	Example
`T`	Tax (IRAS)	T08SS0001A
`S`	Societies	S97SS0001A
`R`	Charities	R00CC0001A

Pattern: TYYXXNNNNA or similar (variable length, typically 10 characters) - T/S/R: Authority indicator - YY: 2-digit year - XX: Type code (SS, CC, FC, etc.) - NNNN: Sequential number - A: Check letter

Validation Rules¶

Basic Format Validation¶

1. Length: 9-10 characters (most common: 10)
2. Must contain only alphanumeric characters (no spaces, dashes, or special characters)
3. The entity type suffix (last character) must be alphabetic
4. If format is YYYYNNNNNX:
   - First 4 characters must be a valid year (1800-current year)
   - Characters 5-9 must be digits
   - Character 10 must be a letter (A-Z)
5. If format is legacy (9-10 digits + letter):
   - All characters except the last must be digits
   - Last character must be a letter

Cross-Validation with MAS Records¶

When a form is lodged with MAS: - The UEN is matched against MAS's database of licensed entities - The UEN must correspond to an active CMS licence or FA licence - If the UEN does not match a licensed entity, the submission is rejected

In Regnify¶

Rule	Detail
Database field	`organisations.uen_number` (VARCHAR, UNIQUE, nullable)
Uniqueness	No two organisations can share the same UEN
Nullable	The field can be NULL (for organisations not yet fully registered)
Display	Shown in organisation profiles and declaration forms
Filter	Used as a query parameter in user and organisation API endpoints

Common UEN Patterns by Financial Entity Type¶

Entity Type	Typical UEN Format	Example
Bank (local)	YYYYNNNNNC	196500025C
Bank (foreign branch)	TYYXXNNNNA	T08FC7001A
CMS Licensee (company)	YYYYNNNNNC	200312345C
Licensed Financial Adviser	YYYYNNNNNC	201012345C
Insurance Company	YYYYNNNNNC or TYYXXNNNNA	196700070C
Merchant Bank	TYYXXNNNNA	T06FC6789A

Common Validation Errors¶

Error	Cause	Fix
"UEN must be unique"	Another organisation already has this UEN	Verify the correct UEN; check for duplicate organisation records
Invalid format	Contains spaces, dashes, or invalid characters	Remove all non-alphanumeric characters
UEN not found in MAS records	Entity is not a licensed CMS/FA entity	Verify the entity holds an active MAS licence
UEN does not match entity name	The UEN belongs to a different entity	Cross-check with ACRA BizFile
Expired or revoked licence	The entity's CMS/FA licence has been revoked	Cannot submit forms; licence must be active

Verifying a UEN¶

ACRA BizFile¶

URL: https://www.bizfile.gov.sg
Purpose: Verify entity registration details, directors, shareholders
Search: Enter UEN to retrieve entity profile

MAS Financial Institutions Directory (FID)¶

URL: https://eservices.mas.gov.sg/fid
Purpose: Verify whether an entity holds an active CMS licence or FA licence
Search: Search by entity name or UEN to confirm licence status

Regnify System¶

Organisations are created with their UEN during setup
The UEN is used to associate representatives with their principal
API endpoints support filtering by uen_number for user and organisation queries

UEN in API Responses¶

In the Regnify API, UEN appears in organisation-related responses:

{
  "id": 3,
  "name": "DBS Securities Pte Ltd",
  "uen_number": "202012345A",
  "contact_email": "compliance@dbs.com",
  "description": "CMS Licensee - Securities Dealing",
  "address": "12 Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018982",
  "phone_number": "+65 6327 2288"
}

Source References¶

Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) — UEN issuance rules
MAS Guidelines on Representative Appointment — Entity identification requirements
Companies Act (Cap 50) — Corporate registration and identification

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